Cavaliers' life without LeBron will be hard, but different

And, no, we aren't talking about vitriol or insults like we saw when James left in 2010. Everyone's past those days.

Instead, what Gilbert didn't mention as he thanked James was anything about the Cavs' future.

Among Gilbert's mistakes when he responded after James bolted for Miami eight years ago was the guarantee that Cleveland would win a championship before James.

We all know what happened next: the Cavs suffered through arguably the worst four years in franchise history (a record of 97-215) while James won two titles with the Heat. Then, Cleveland went to four Finals and won one championship after James came back in 2014.

In those same four seasons, the Cavs went 4-23 on nights when James didn't play and lost the last 11 games. You haven't heard as much about this lately because, well, James played every single game this past season, all 104, counting the regular season and playoffs.

He was the team's leading scorer and assist man over the last four years, and was third in rebounds, trailing second-place Tristan Thompson by just 133 boards.

There is no replacing LeBron. You don't get better when he leaves, you get worse. The Cavs know this, so now, right this minute, is not the time to boast of a bright future.

Las Vegas betting odds has the Cavs as a 400-to-1, maybe 500-to-1 shot to win the Finals, with one book setting the over-under for Cleveland wins next season at 22.5.

But the Cavs also believe their future is more hopeful than perhaps you or Vegas thinks.

To have this conversation, one must keep in mind that nobody on the Cavs thinks the organization is better off without LeBron.

But this team is going to be, well, different, and since keeping James out of the Lakers' hands wasn't meant to be, the Cavs will eventually open up about a cautious level of excitement to see what different looks like.

For days and weeks leading up to James' Sunday announcement that he was indeed leaving, team sources have insisted to cleveland.com that the Cavs would not go into full tank mode if James left, in which they essentially try to lose, clear cap space, and rebuild through the draft.

Sources re-affirmed that position on Monday, for instance holding to the organizational line that Kevin Love is not on the trading block. Love is a five-time All-Star with two years and about $50 million left on his contract; pundits outside the organization believe he should be moved for younger, cheaper players and picks.

When the Miami Heat lost James in the summer of 2014, following four Finals berths, it still had Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the roster. Bosh's health failed him and the Heat finished 37-45, short of a playoff bid. Miami reached the tournament the following year.

Sources said the Cavs still intend on trying to make the playoffs. With James playing all 82 games last season, Cleveland made the tournament as the No. 4 seed.

Love is the Cavs' lone All-Star on the roster, and was the team's second-leading scorer with 17.3 points per game (behind James' 27.5 ppg!). They drafted point guard Collin Sexton, who's 19. After Love, Cleveland's top returning scorer is Jordan Clarkson at 12.6 ppg off the bench. Rodney Hood averaged 16.8 ppg last season with Utah, but just 10.8 after he was traded to the Cavs on Feb. 8.

Both Hood and Clarkson struggled mightily in the playoffs. Rookies Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic couldn't get on the court in the postseason. Larry Nance Jr. struggled early, but found his way when given a second chance.

Cleveland can use a $5.3 million salary cap exception and a $5.8 million trade exception to change its team for the better. A trade or two may be in the offing as well, but, for the umpteenth time, sources insist deals won't be made to make the Cavs immediately worse.

The Cavs want to see how all their pieces work and fit together in a system. For the last four seasons, James was the system.

The ball moved when James wanted to move it, and stuck when he decided he wanted to take the game into his own hands.

The Cavs were third in the NBA in isolation offense last season, even though Kyrie Irving didn't play here anymore. They ran iso for 10.1 percent of their possessions. The year before, with James and Irving pounding the ball all over the place, the Cavs were tops in the NBA in isos.

That's going to change now. The ball will move. It has to.

Cleveland was rated 29th on defense during the regular season. James was by no means the lone culprit when it came to a lack of effort on defense, but if the best player rests at that end, it's not hard to see why others followed suit.

This is coach Tyronn Lue's chance to build true systems on offense and defense, with principles that each player must adhere to for playing time. There will be no pressure of playing alongside James, who, is widely regarded as the league's best player, and was seeking to reach the Finals for an eighth straight year with the threat of free agency hanging over everyone's head if they failed.

The Cavs will expect to play faster on offense and compete more often on defense. Lue is said to be excited about getting a chance to mold younger players in this way. He continues to insist, as do executives throughout the organization, that he will return as coach after a tough season personally that included a two-week hiatus for health reasons.

Lue knows the luxuries of coaching James. Wins and Finals berths are virtually guaranteed, as difficult as things may get from time to time along the way.

Now, just making the playoffs is going to be a challenge. That's understood.

But since James is gone and nothing can be done to reverse it, the Cavs will soon begin to discuss their optimism and excitement in facing that challenge.